{"id":4059,"date":"2026-06-25T13:36:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4059"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:36:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:36:38","slug":"charlotte-approves-fare-ambassador-program-for-light-rail-ticket-enforcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4059","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte approves fare ambassador program for light rail ticket enforcement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) \u2014 Riders on Charlotte\u2019s light rail could soon see more frequent ticket checks after city leaders approved a new fare enforcement program.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4057\">\u2018Calculated scheme\u2019: Owner of NC tax business admits conspiracy to collect nearly $14M using COVID credits<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Charlotte City Council voted this week to launch a \u201cfare ambassador\u201d program, placing uniformed inspectors on trains to make sure passengers have paid before riding. The effort is aimed at cracking down on fare evasion while also increasing safety on the system.<\/p>\n<p>Many passengers say the change could make a difference, especially after safety concerns on the Blue Line last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just going to make it safer, and it won\u2019t allow just anyone to get on the light rail without paying considering what happened,\u201d said light rail rider Irecia Knight.<\/p>\n<p>The push for stronger enforcement follows the August 2025 <strong>stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska<\/strong> on the Blue Line. Since then, CATS has increased its safety presence, with riders already noticing more routine ticket checks ahead of the program\u2019s full rollout.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday they did,\u201d said passenger Chris Barbee. \u201cI\u2019ve been on the train maybe two or three times in the last month, and two out of three times they had checked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CATS leaders have also pointed to high rates of fare evasion. In April, <strong>officials said about half of riders were not paying fares<\/strong>. Officials told us that DeCarlos Brown, Jr., accused of killing Zarutska, did not buy a ticket the night she was killed.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4055\">Inmate injured after attempted escape from Vance County jail, deputies say<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The new program will be rolled out in phases, starting on the Blue Line before expanding to other parts of the system, including buses and the Gold Line streetcar.<\/p>\n<p>Some riders say they have already seen behavior change when ticket inspectors are present.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of the time I\u2019m on there, people are checking tickets,\u201d said rider Troy Carter. \u201cBut there\u2019s also been a mad scramble for people to buy tickets as they see them being checked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>City leaders approved roughly a $5 million plan to fund the initiative, which is expected to add a consistent, visible presence on trains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like it. I think it\u2019s needed,\u201d Barbee said. \u201cIf they\u2019re trying to make things safer, I think that this is the right way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CATS officials have not yet said how many inspectors will be part of the program or when it will officially begin. The contract is with Block by Block for three years.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4053\">Americans are inundated with suspected scams. New polling shows why few victims report them<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many passengers say the change could make a difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Charlotte approves fare ambassador program for light rail ticket enforcement - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4059\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Charlotte approves fare ambassador program for light rail ticket enforcement - 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